1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reversible panels, and more particularly to a reversing panel utilizable for the carriage and deployment of stores from aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The carriage and deployment of stores on aircraft presents logistical and aerodynamic challenges that continue to evolve with each new generation of advanced military aircraft and stores. Various designs have attempted to efficiently deploy stores into a launch position while minimizing the loss of aerodynamic profile caused by such deployment and by the stores themselves. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,501 to Parot, stores are deployed on a movable panel. To launch the stores, a primary panel in the skin of the aircraft is moved to the side and the stores panel is moved into its place in the skin of the aircraft. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,533 to Brumbry et al., a panel having stores thereon is rotated using a gear arrangement to change from the stores position to the launch position. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,342 to Hardy et al., weapons are stored in aerodynamic recesses to facilitate carrying different types of weapons in an efficient manner.
None of those references adequately addresses all of the problems of balancing the need for flexibility in stores deployment with obtaining a minimum negative aerodynamic impact and maintaining airframe structural integrity. It remains desirable to have a system for stores deployment that is fast, flexible, aerodynamic and minimizes structural loads on the aircraft.